REVIEW: Motorola Edge 20 Pro is the premium phone with a slight bitterness

Launched recently in Brazil, the Motorola Pro Edge 20 it is the brand's great return to the — true — high-end smartphone segment to compete with the flagships of this market. Although the device really stands out with its excellent screen and design, I feel that it lacked something else for it to really take off in general use, but still there are more hits than mistakes.

Motorola kindly sent us a Motorola Edge 20 Pro, and after using the phone as a main device for the last few days, here is the full product review.

Design

At first glance, what stands out the most when we open the beautiful box of the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is the its bold design. The back comes in a darker blue color, which while being matte also manages to reflect light very well. This lighting game still reveals small shiny squares on the side strips, which give a very chic touch.

Even though it was beautiful, it was a particular danger to me. What happens is that the entire coating is made with Gorilla Glass, making the smartphone super smooth and very easy to slip out of your hand. This tragic fatality didn't happen to me – just a bit – and I don't even consider it a defect or negative point, just something that caught my attention in contrast to other cell phones in which this rarely happened.

The smartphone is very thin and light, weighing only 190g and is very ergonomic. On the back there is the traditional Motorola logo - which does not serve as a biometric sensor as in other models of the brand - and a set of cameras with 3 large sensors. The look of these lenses turned out really nice and is not as thick or extravagant as other models out there.

At the top there is only space for reset, while the latter has a USB Type-C connection for fast charging, a microphone, speakers and a SIM 2 slot. Motorola Pro Edge 20 Unfortunately it does not accept MicroSD card.

On one side there is a button to connect to the Google Assistant, while on the other side we have the traditional volume buttons and , which also works as the fingerprint reader. This choice pleased me a lot, and unlike other smartphones, I had no problems configuring this sensor with my fingers.

In the box, in addition to the Motorola Edge 20 Pro, comes a charger, which we will comment on shortly, USB Type-C 3.1 cable, headphones – YES! Habemus fone – also USB Type-C, a clear protective case and instruction manuals.

Fabric

I can say: the Motorola Edge 20 Pro has the best display this writer has ever experienced. Of course, there may be other better devices in this category, but for me this is the ultimate point of the Edge 20 Pro.

With the size of 6.7 inches, we are talking about a OLED with HDR10+ support and in simple terms that means beautiful image quality. The colors are vivid, there's a lot of contrast and the black tones are incredibly dark, as the script says. The maximum brightness pleases me a lot and the Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080) does the job without any problems.

However, another big highlight at this stage is the 144 Hz refresh rate, beating some premium market heavyweights. In everyday life, this fluidity is sensational and you will hardly want to go back to a cell phone with a lower rate. It really is something that leaves – or gives the illusion, let's say – the impression that it is a more powerful and faster smartphone.

This 144 Hz screen, however, is more geared towards a gamer audience that wants to enjoy all this potential. In practice, I didn't feel that much, and as I'm not a mobile gamer, when investing in my future high-end cell phone it's possible that I wouldn't choose a screen with such a refresh rate for a reason. After all, if you want a super display you have to sacrifice something along the way.

Battery

From the screen, we jump right to the drums, where things start to get a little hazy. In fact, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is neither a horror nor a perfection in this regard, with 4.500 mAh.

It would be unfair to beat this model because I think the power consumption is too fast, because I know exactly why this happens is the high refresh rate of the screen, the whole display is super vivid, etc. But on the other hand, it was a point that really made me a little uncomfortable during the tests.

Motorola could have invested in something like 5000 mAh to give that up naughty and make the user a little more relaxed, but it didn't happen. On average, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro lasts a day away from the outlets or a little less, depending on how you use it, of course.

However, what really frustrated me was the slow loading. While my primary cell phone, the realme 8 Pro, has the same 4.500 mAh and doesn't even come close to 144 Hz, its 65W super charger is a monster and in 40 minutes I'm already 100% charged. On the Motorola Edge 20 Pro this process took much longer with the 30W USB Type-C/USB Type-C charger at both ends.

On its official website, Motorola even advertises a little about the TurboPower 30 W charger, but in practice this did not please me, especially when we consider that the Motorola Edge 20 Pro currently costs more than 4 thousand reais.

camera and sound

We could not forget one of the strengths of the Motorola Edge 20 Pro: its set of cameras. Undoubtedly, the highlight goes to the 108 MP main camera and the result is good, but I felt that something was missing, that it needed a special touch. As much as I'm not a camera enthusiast, and we're talking about a competent 108 MP sensor, photos in dimly lit places aren't as sharp for me, but when there's light the result is more satisfying.

Obviously this tends to happen with any camera: if there's less light, there's less detail. But I'm not referring to total darkness or taking pictures at night, just some places with a little bit of light missing that really impact a lot. But again, I reiterate that it's not a bad sensor, far from it, but I was expecting a little more.

On the other hand, there is the second camera: a very capable 16 MP ultrawide lens that takes good pictures, along with the macro camera for very close and very detailed photographs. This set was quite surprising and I liked it thanks to its good quality, even if the resolution is not that high.

The selfies with the 32 MP front camera, in turn, are quite convincing, but again I felt a slight annoyance with some aspect of the final quality. Here, however, the discomfort is related to a lot of grain present in the image, even in well-lit places. Although this is not a super negative point for me, and it needs a more attentive effort to realize, I couldn't let it go unnoticed given the price of the Motorola Edge 20 Pro. At night this little problem becomes more noticeable.

By far the thing that bothered me the most about this was the camera app menu. In other models we have access to all very detailed and detailed information, but here it is simply bad and difficult to find a simple ultrawide or macro mode. I had to play the role of a mage to figure out what each symbol meant, as there is no good guidance.

The sound quality is OK, but it leaves a lot to be desired as it does not have stereo audio, only mono with the speaker on the back. I usually always use headphones and I wouldn't bother with that, but we're talking about a top-of-the-line device, and not betting well on sound quality is a serious unnecessary mistake.

Performance and Settings

Fortunately, there's nothing to complain about the Motorola Edge 20 Pro's performance. The model is simply super powerful and has components that live up to its premium premium proposal.

Internally there is a powerful Snapdragon 870 5G processor, with Adreno 620 GPU, 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage. Memory and space will not be lacking, and the dual CPU + GPU definitely pleases us a lot.

In everyday use, there is no sign of choking or any kind of slowness, nor heating. However, during charging, I felt a nice little heat, but Motorola itself already warns about this in advance, so there are no problems here.

To demonstrate this firepower, I tested the Motorola Edge 20 Pro in a series of games, such as Genshin Impact, Free Fire, Call of Duty: Mobile and in the beautiful Sky, developed by the same creators of the acclaimed Journey. The result does not surprise anyone: smooth gameplay, without crashes, stuttering, nothing. It's like I'm actually playing on my PC – given the proper proportions, of course – and everything went great.

In synthetic tests, we use the Wild life to compare GPU quality. That benchmarking has one minute to evaluate the device's ability to demonstrate high levels of performance for short periods of time, similar to what happens with mobile games that contain super frenetic parts. Everything was rendered at 2560 x 1440 resolution and reaching 4203 points, making for a good fight, albeit slightly distant, against the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G.

• 

• 

• 

Interface

The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is based on Android 11, but will get updates to Android 12 and 13 in the future, so OS compatibility won't be an issue for a long time.

• 

• 

The interface used is My UX, very traditional for the brand's devices and that does not present great novelties. It is the “basicão”, so to speak, that works perfectly. We take prints by pressing 3 fingers on the screen, there is editing mode, customization of colors, fonts, etc. You can be comfortable and arrange according to your preference.

But it is worth noting the Gamemode, a mode that is automatically activated whenever you start a game. There you can pause notifications, change brightness intensity, record or print the screen, perform a streaming for Twitch and activate an option that speeds up the system to optimize gameplay. It was very useful and practical and should be a good differential for those who plan to venture into the games for hours.

ready for

Along with the Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Motorola was kind enough to also send the complete kit of the ready for. For those of you who don't know, Ready For has multiple functions, such as turning your compatible phone into a computer, mirroring the screen, etc.

The kit consists of a very well made metal support to fit your device. It has a small pin to connect the phone's USB port and carry out charging and/or connection to your TV/Monitor. On the back there is a USB Type-C port.

In the box comes a USB Type-C to HDMI cable, which must be connected directly to the cell phone or base, and then to the TV or monitor. Then, you have to go to the smartphone shortcut bar and select by Ready For. A range of options will quickly appear, such as screen mirroring, that is, everything that is seen on the cell phone will be seen on the other screen.

But the gimmick is the option to turn the Motorola Edge 20 Pro and other compatible phones into a computer. In this mode we can even connect a wireless mouse, keyboard or headphone to have the most immersive experience possible. If you don't have it, don't worry, your cell phone will become a kind of “unified mouse and keyboard” to use on that computer.

The “computer”, in turn, has an interface very similar to that of Windows and works perfectly. It is also possible to open any of your apps directly from Ready For, like a Word of life.

With the Motorola Edge 20 Pro it is possible to carry out this whole process without the presence of wires thanks to the 5G connection. However, the TV/Monitor that will receive the image needs to be integrated with Miracast to work.

Conclusion

Finally, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro was a mix of small emotions for me, and I think the best way to describe this smartphone is with a simple analogy. Imagine you go to a fine restaurant with a renowned Chicago food chef and order the latest entrée from that expert. When looking at the ingredients table, you realize that it really is something out of the curve and try it. The sensation of each bite is really good, but between the flavors you feel something that is not right, that it should have a little more taste or that some decision prevents this dish from being more authentic.

The Motorola Edge 20 Pro, following this reasoning, is undeniably a very good product, from a reputable brand that returns to the level of high-end smartphones. However, this cell phone could be more; could have taken more special care, prepared with more seasoning. Of course, every fancy dish has its price, and it's not cheap. In this case, it is paying dearly for a smartphone that could be cheaper for what it offers.

Finally, we come to the great dilemma. The Motorola Edge 20 Pro costs BRL 4.499 at Magazine Luiza, and it has a good build, solid design, excellent internal settings, but it already starts to wobble in the nice camera, and is out of step with its battery and sound quality. The Ready For is awesome, but the kit is sold separately for R$360 on Motorola's official website.

After all my trips around the world, I believe that the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is indeed a good phone and puts Motorola back in the competitive premium scenario, but its price and these small setbacks unbalance a product that could be more for the price at which It's sold. Maybe waiting for the end of year promotions is the best idea to do around here.

Technical sheet

Brand	Motorola
Córdoba	Edge 20 Pro
chipset	Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm): Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585)
Operational system	Android 11 really UI 2.0
GPU	Adreno 620
RAM memory	12 GB
Storage	256 GB
Fabric	6.7 inches OLED 1080 2400 pixels x 1 billion colors
Cameras	Standard camera (wide): 108MP with f/1.9 aperture; Periscopic camera: 8 MP Wide-angle and macro camera: 16MP Front camera: 32 MP
Institutional	8K UHD (main) 4K, 30fps (front)
5G	Yes
Audio	Stereo
Battery	4500 mAh
Weight	190g
Dimensions	163 x 76 x 8 mm
Connectivity	5G; NFC; WiFi 6; Bluetooth 5.1
Price and availability	R$4.499

So, did you like our Motorola Edge 20 Pro review? Then you should take a look at this list with the 20 best comedy movies available on streaming platforms.

The 20 best comedy movies on streaming